This popular herb grows in Europe, especially the Mediterranean, and is a member of the mint…

Method

Prepare duck and chicken breasts and the pork fillet by trimming off any sinews and fat. Smash the garlic with the back of a knife to crush roughly. Mix the meats in a bowl with the garlic, thyme, Armagnac, oil and pepper (no salt at this stage). Cover and marinate in the fridge for 1-24 hrs, depending on depth of flavour that’s required.

Drain the meats from the marinade, which can be discarded, and cut into chunks of about 1.5cm. Heat the goose fat or butter in a large frying pan and fry the meats for 2 mins on each side to brown. Discard the garlic and thyme sprigs. Season and cool.

Grease a 1kg terrine or loaf tin well. Arrange strips of bacon on the base and up both sides with enough overhanging to fold over. You will have a double layer of bacon on the base. Set aside.

Soften the sausagemeat in a big bowl with a wooden spoon, then work in the cream and chopped herbs. To check the seasoning, shape a tbsp of the mixture into a patty and fry in a little oil for 2-3 mins, then taste and add more salt and pepper to the bowl, if needed.

Mix the marinated meats into the sausagemeat. Scoop the mixture into the terrine, pressing down well and mounding up on the top. Pull the overhanging bacon strips up and over to cover.

Heat oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Double-wrap the terrine top in foil, pressing well into the sides and twisting the ends to seal. Place in a large, deep-sided roasting pan and pour in boiling water to reach halfway up the sides. Bake for 1 hr, until the meat feels firm on top when pressed. Remove from the oven and leave to cool, then chill overnight.

To serve, place the terrine in a pan of just-boiled water and leave for 3 mins to soften the bacon. Loosen the sides with a flat knife and ease the terrine out onto a board. Serve in slices with pear compote, some winter salad leaves and chunks of crusty bread.

Recipe Tip

Know how

The pâté will keep in the fridge for 2-3 days. To freeze, allow to cool, wrap well in cling film and freeze for up to 1 month. Defrost in the fridge for 24 hours.

Recipe Tip

The best sausagemeat

Gordon's neat cheat for this one is to use top-quality sausagemeat (at least 85 per cent meat,
such as Duchy Original Cumberland sausage), mixed with lots of chopped fresh herbs and double cream.

Recipe Tip

Varying the meats

If you like, you can vary the meats – try
spicy Merguez or garlicky Toulouse instead of Cumberland sausagemeat. Or, for a more traditional, smooth pâté texture, ask your butcher to mince together 350g each pork, beef and veal – you could add some finely chopped duck liver, too. And, for the ultimate in luxury, Gordon love to add pieces of foie gras.

Recipe Tip

Marinating ahead

Marinating the meats ahead gives them an extra-rich flavour. If you have no armagnac, then use cognac, calvados or even dry sherry. Marinate the meats for anything from 1-24 hours. The longer you marinate, the deeper
the flavour will be.

Recipe Tip

With less bacon

For a thinner layer of bacon, use Italian pancetta instead of streaky bacon.

Recipe Tip

Using a loaf tin

Gordon used a traditional white-glazed French terrine mould, but a 1-litre metal loaf tin gives the same capacity, although it may be slightly wider.

Recipe Tip

Freezing

Leftover pâté can be open-frozen in slices, then wrapped well in freezer film. Use within
one month.

Recipe Tip

Getting the perfect seasoning

You should check the seasoning before baking. Remember that cold foods need a little more flavour than hot ones.

Ads by Google

Comments, questions and tips

I make it time and time again. Use different types of meat. Mine and my friends' favorite. Thanks, Gordon!

kirstinmurray

27th Dec, 2012

2.05

This one did not work out well for me. I made the pate 3 days in advance having marinated the meats for 20 hours first.
As we were away for 3 nights over Christmas I planned to serve the pate at a family buffet on Christmas Eve. When I sliced it up the inside was not cooked and it could not be used. I think it needed longer than an hour in the bain marie but it did feel firm when I tapped it. I tasted a bit from the edge which was cooked and it was nice but not great. Disappointed

dutes8080

26th Dec, 2012

5.05

Very good indeed and please, please, please, go to the trouble of making the Pear Compote it transforms this Pate from "very good indeed" to "out of this world!"

chateaubev

29th Jul, 2012

5.05

I have made this time and time again it never disappoints us. Serve on a long oblong serving plate sliced, It looks and tastes Fabulous....

echanis

8th Apr, 2012

First time terrine maker and this came out perfectly, I made it for a dinner party and unanimously everyone said it was amazing ( they may have been being polite ) but I thought it was good. I didnt have duck so I omitted that but put in some chunks of pancetta instead. I served with a James Martin recipe for beetroot compote and it was a perfect accompaniment !

caroline1010_3

13th Jan, 2011

5.05

I made this in between Christmas and New year along with the Christmas pie that is also on this Web site. I halved everything as I didn't want that much and it still worked out well. I used a good quality sausage meat (80% meat which I found in Sainsbury on the butcher counter). I did marinate the meat for a day and a half as well. It was easy to make and looked great, also added the Italian pancetta instead of bacon. We found that after cooking it and leaving it in the fridge it got better with age. Tasted it the first day and it was nice, left it for another 2 days and it tasted great.

lindseyanderson

30th Dec, 2010

5.05

Delicious as a Christmas Day starter and goes brilliantly with the pear compote. Will definitely make this again.

mickmckie

26th Dec, 2010

Used this recipe for a long time...never fails to impress. Try using a different spirit for the marinade, just for a change try Grand Marnier, Port or what ever takes your fancy.... , but Armagnac is the winner so far. Good quality sausage meat is a must, I can't quite understand why others find it dry. It's never been a problem.

kennedymf

19th Dec, 2010

I did make this recipe yesterday after marinating the meat for 2 days, I made smaller ones and should have reduced cooking times and also the temperature but just got busy with other things for Christmas. Added pistachio nuts and dried cranberries, which worked very well and look very festive. This pate is dried than I expected given the richness of the ingredients and the water bath. I use both Italian pancetta and bacon and like the looks of the pancetta wrapped pate. I made Cumberland sausagemeat from a recipe on the net and the taste test patty was delicious. The drippings had an awesome taste so I did drain it from the terrines, removed the fat and pour it back on top of the pate! Now to see if the family loves the pate!

gemcox82

22nd Dec, 2009

Hi, I thought I'd try making this with minced meat as suggested and wanted to know if I need to brown the meat before baking. Any advise would be greatly appreciated.

Pages

Be the first to ask a question about this recipe...Unsure about the cooking time or want to swap an ingredient? Ask us your questions and we’ll try and help you as soon as possible. Or if you want to offer a solution to another user’s question, feel free to get involved...

With a bit of adjustment it's delicious, but I agree that the cooking time needs a bit of thought. Also, I cut the meat into long strips and layered them, rather than chunks that just get mixed in: this way each slice is guaranteed to look good. Mind the tarragon, too ... very strong.

Reader offer: £10 off + 2 free craft beers

Skills & know how

As well as helping you decide what to cook we can also help you to cook it. From tips on cookery techniques to facts and information about health and nutrition, we’ve a wealth of foodie know how for you to explore.

About BBC Good Food

We’re all about good recipes, and about quality home cooking that everyone can enjoy. Whether you’re looking for some healthy inspiration or learning how to cook a decadent dessert, we’ve trustworthy guidance for all your foodie needs.

Our recipes

All our recipes are tested thoroughly by us to make sure they’re suitable for your kitchen at home. We know many of you are concerned about healthy eating, so we send them to a qualified nutritionist for thorough analysis too.

This website is made by BBC Worldwide.

BBC Worldwide is a commercial company that is owned by the BBC (and just the BBC). No money from the licence fee was used to create this page. The profits we make from it go back to BBC programme-makers to help fund great new BBC programmes.